2 Finals & a Paper...

That's all I have left of this Semester!

About two hours ago I walked out of my final class and smiled to myself.
I've done it again.

Is it wrong to take pride in another Semester finished?
This Semester was not particularly tough academically, I'm expecting all A's...

However,

emotionally this Semester was a roller coaster - with the highest highs and the lowest lows... I won't bore you with those specifics (you can look at past posts for those), but I will say this:

I'm ending this Semester with a sense of satisfaction and pride in the fact that I have dealt with it all successfully

and come out on top!!

***

I would also be remiss if I didn't express my love and appreciation for my sweet husband who is supportive, laid back, doesn't mind cooking or doing the dishes, and who loves me unconditionally! I have said it before and I'll say it for forever, I am the luckiest wife in the world!!

Ahhhh... Ummmm ... ????

I feel like I've been missing from blog world over the past few weeks! Life has been busy! It is the end of a Semester (another one bites the dust) and it seems that by the time I get home from work in the evening, I don't have enough wit left in me to post an actual post!!

So, what have we been up to? Well, we got this:


And it has been keeping us busy! (The ability to stream Netflix to the Wii and watch instantly on our T.V.) Don't worry though, we don't spend all of our time in front of the T.V.

We went to Willow Park with Nate's fam:





And we have spent a lot of time enjoying the sporadically beautiful weather (70 degree weather one day, snow the next - sounds about right!)

We are looking forward to a low key summer, spending lots of time outdoors and hanging out with those we love!!

... so much to say ...

so little/not enough time.

I really do have things to post about, it's just the end of the Semester so they'll have to wait! For now, I'll be happy with keeping up with all of your posting!!

Oh, and also, I'm trying to decide whether or not to offer some really cheap photography (like, $25-$50/per session depending on how many people) over the summer just so I can get some practice. If this is something you might be interested in, let me know! (Again, I haven't decided yet, I need to see what my summer schedule is like, but I'd LOVE to do it so that I can get some more practice & exposure)!

Happy Thursday!

It's About Time...

Words cannot express how much I LOVE this weather we've had for the last two days! When our alarm clock went off this morning it said that our high today is supposed to be 70! That's right, the big 7-0! So much better than rain and snow and hail!!

Sunday Dinner & Cards

One thing that can always be guaranteed when we go to my parents house for Sunday Dinner is that the yummy meal will always be followed by a round of cards!! We have many great memories of sitting around my parents table and playing some "Hand & Foot," "Golf," "Pit," and countless other games and always look forward to spending some time sitting around the table!

Amigos

As you know, our good friends have been in long and grueling process to adopt some kiddos from Mexico! Our anticipation was fulfilled last month as they returned home and we got to meet "Omarsol" (as termed by cute little Isaac)! Here are just a few random pictures of the Duts & the Wilks and their adorable kids!!

SLC Lights

Last month Nate & I went to Salt Lake to pick up my sisters for my grandpa's funeral. We met up with Jen & her family for dinner early and had a few hours to spare before picking Amanda up at the airport. We decided to take our camera up and get some pictures the Salt Lake valley ...

The results were hit and miss because our camera was brand new and we didn't really know how to use it, but here are our favorites:



We also walked around the Gateway to kill some time and I shot this picture of Nate trying on a Fedora. He has been trying to find the perfect Fedora for quite a while now - he hasn't found it yet, but we haven't given up hope :)

Trip to Zions - Final Part - Emerald Pools

Finally! After sorting and editing over 1,000 pictures from our three day trip (seriously ridiculous, I know) I'm finally ready to do our final post from our trip to Zions! We spent a good 3 hours on a 1 hour hike to Emerald Pools! We took our time, took lots of pictures, and had a wonderful afternoon!

In advance, sorry for the amount of pictures in this post. It took us a few times sorting through just to get to this many. If you want to see more scenery pics from our trip check out my photo blog within the next week or so - I'll get them posted there over the weekend!




























So, as you can see, we had a fabulous time and took way too many pictures! (Ha ha! As if THAT's possible!) If you're looking for a quick getaway and some beautiful scenery, Zions is the place to go!!

Why do I LOVE School?

(Yes. I realize that this isn't my last post about Zions. My laptop got sick and I had to get it fixed. Luckily I know someone who can fix it. He's cheap and he's A HOTTIE! Alas, this is not a post about Zions. That will come later, perhaps tomorrow when I should be studying. Now, back to matter at hand.)

Seriously. I do. I LOVE going to school. I LOVE learning - about myself, about others, about things, about people, about places, about words, about going to class in freezing weather, about life.

I've had a very personally fulfilling week. Here's why:

I got to be in the same room as this guy, hear him lecture and watch him perform. Not once, but twice.


So who is he and why do you care? This is John Riley. He is a legendary Jazz drummer. He has played with Miles Davis. He has written the book on Bebop. He performed with the USU Big Band and he was AMAZING. He came to my class. He lectured. He performed.

This is why I love school. When in my LIFE would I have been able to learn from a master of drumming? I realize that I'm not a drummer, nor am I a Jazz aficionado, but I do realize that just being in the same room as him is a fulfillment of someone's dream, so I am grateful that I got to see him perform and to be taught by him. I learned about music. I learned about passion. I learned about the greatness that can come from passion. I learned.

Not enough to convince you? Here's another:

Last week, I went here:


I went here to learn about culture. To learn about faith as seen by another religion. To learn about life.

And I did. I met four of the nicest people that I have ever had the privilege of meeting. It was me, and the four of them. Why was I nervous to go I will never know because they made me feel at home. I went for an assignment, I left with a new understanding of a culture that is so welcoming. They set aside their evenings to spend an hour and a half teaching me about their culture for an assignment. They allowed me to observe their evening prayer. They provided me with a copy of the Qur'An. I don't know what I will do with it, but I know that I will always keep it.

Why?

Because when I walked out of their Mosque I felt like a better person. Not in a religious kind of way, but in a "man-kind" kind of way and it made me realize that I CRAVE learning about other cultures. My shy self just longs to step out of my shell and meet new people and have new experiences and grow with them and from them...

School.

It provides me with experiences that I otherwise would have never had. If there were two me's - one stuck in 2005 when I was thinking about coming to school, and the current me - side by side, I don't know that I'd recognize the old me. This is a good thing.

I am so grateful for the chance that I have to go to school. Yes, it is a mixed blessing and sometimes bittersweet, but since I'm here, I'm going all in and I'm going to let it mold me into the woman that I am supposed to become.

That is why I LOVE it!

Trip to Zions - Part III - Driving through the Park

Jeez it's taking me a long time to get these posted! My goal? To try and catch up this weekend!

Here are some pictures that we got while driving through the park on our way to various destinations!!